For illustration purposes, the applicant will illustrate the use of the present invention as used on a conventional canoe. However, it will be understood that the invention, as described, is equally effective on small boats and similar watercrafts, which can commonly be propelled by use of conventional paddles.
The inventor sought to provide canoe operators with a system for not only propelling a canoe using pedal power from one's legs, but also with the ability to easily disable said system when not required, and particularly, simulate the biomechanical motion of canoe paddling thus optimizing water displacement, making the effort of paddling optimally efficient. Furthermore the present invention provides improvement in the art of pedal-propulsion systems designed for small watercraft. Most pedal propulsion systems aim to eliminate the need of manually paddling the watercraft by hand, or to replace electric or gas powered motors, which in turn drive propeller drives or paddle wheel assemblies. Existing pedal powered propulsion devices for small watercraft are usually attached to the watercraft in a fashion so that it could be removed at a later time. However, during the period of use, afloat in the water, the device is always attached in a way that in turn may limit the flexibility of travel for the watercraft. One such case is where the watercraft is required to traverse a narrow waterway or fixed obstacles in its path.
There are three basic categories of human-powered propulsion systems for small watercrafts, they are:    i. propeller driven,    ii. paddle wheel driven, and    iii. row-style driving devices.
Devices falling into categories (i) and (ii) develop problems with tangling of aquatic plants, damage to aquatic plants and to equipment. Devices falling into categories (ii) and (iii) are usually of a bulky nature and cumbersome, which take up space outside of the watercraft, in turn limiting the maneuverability of said watercraft.
In summary devices of category (i), propeller driven, have the following problems;
    Pedal powered propeller drives are complicated and costly,    They are heavy, and    They can damage and become tangled in aquatic plants.Category (ii) devices, paddle wheels, have the following problems;    Paddle wheels can grab aquatic plants and become tangled,    Entry and exit into and out of the water surface by a paddle wheel is not efficient,    They are noisy,    They waste energy by splashing water outward from the wheel paddles,    Splash guards are required to keep the passengers dry,    They have a lower energy transfer efficiency,    They are heavy, and    Have a multiplicity of redundant paddles and structure to support them.Category (iii) devices, rowing-style driving devices, have the following problems;    They are efficient but take up a large space, thus reducing maneuverability, and    They are heavy due to the structure required,
Therefore, the applicant intends to overcome a majority of the problems associated with prior art human-powered propulsion system by providing a new improved biomechanically correct pedal powered paddling system for small watercrafts.
The applicant is aware of attempts in prior art to provide means of propelling small watercrafts using mechanically powered apparatuses.
An example of prior art may be had when referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,732 of Owen, issued Dec. 17, 1996 depicting a part paddle attached to a mechanical linkage device powered by foot pedals. However, the device fails to compare with the present invention in that it propels the watercraft using a fish-tail motion know to be inefficient when adapted to a rigid body since it exerts a large portion of its force in a side to side motion.
Another example may be had in referring to U.S. Pat. No. 1,532,990 of Csengery, issued Apr. 7, 1925, which teaches of a boat having a rotary paddle apparatus adapted to propel said boat by hand power. This device fails to compare with the present invention in that it does not simulate the biomechanical motion of human paddling, as does the present invention.
Another example may be had in referring to U.S. Pat. No. 5,249,991 of Schinkel, issued Oct. 5, 1993, which depicts a manually operated propulsion device for a canoe comprising generally of a rotary paddle arrangement power by hand, again failing in that it does not simulate the biomechanical motion of human paddling.